‘Smart Cities’ – Dynamic Sustainability Issues and Challenges for ‘Old World’ Economies: A Case from the United Kingdom

The rapid and dynamic rate of urbanization, particularly in emerging world economies, has resulted in a need to find sustainable ways of dealing with the excessive strains and pressures that come to bear on existing infrastructures and relationships. Increasingly during the twenty-first century policy makers have turned to technological solutions to deal with this challenge and the dynamics inherent within it. This move towards the utilization of technology to underpin infrastructure has led to the emergence of the term ‘Smart City’. Smart cities incorporate technology based solutions in their planning development and operation. This paper explores the organizational issues and challenges facing a post-industrial agglomeration in the North West of England as it attempted to become a ‘Smart City’. In particular the paper identifies and discusses the factors that posed significant challenges for the dynamic relationships residents, policymakers and public and private sector organizations and as a result aims to use these micro-level issues to inform the macro-debate and context of wider Smart City discussions. In order to achieve this, the paper develops a range of recommendations that are designed to inform Smart City design, planning and implementation strategies

Association Between Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection and Myocardial Infarction Among People Living With HIV in the United States.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is common among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH). Extrahepatic manifestations of HCV, including myocardial infarction (MI), are a topic of active research. MI is classified into types, predominantly atheroembolic type 1 MI (T1MI) and supply-demand mismatch type 2 MI (T2MI). We examined the association between HCV and MI among patients in the Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) Network of Integrated Clinical Systems, a US multicenter clinical cohort of PLWH. MIs were centrally adjudicated and categorized by type using the Third Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction. We estimated the association between chronic HCV (RNA+) and time to MI while adjusting for demographic characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors, clinical characteristics, and history of injecting drug use. Among 23,407 PLWH aged ≥18 years, there were 336 T1MIs and 330 T2MIs during a median of 4.7 years of follow-up between 1998 and 2016. HCV was associated with a 46% greater risk of T2MI (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.46, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09, 1.97) but not T1MI (aHR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.58, 1.29). In an exploratory cause-specific analysis of T2MI, HCV was associated with a 2-fold greater risk of T2MI attributed to sepsis (aHR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.25, 3.24). Extrahepatic manifestations of HCV in this high-risk population are an important area for continued research

The Rejoinders

The Rejoinders is a research network and curatorial project between India and Wales, funded by India Wales, a British Council and Arts Council Wales / Wales Arts International programme as part of the UK / India Year of Culture 2017-18. The project relied on an open framework to collectively develop sites of action. The digital interface was conceived as a window onto the whole process of collaboration – designed to move through and be responsive to various phases. The exhibition was approached as another form of realisation, engaging open-ended enquiry through visual and written prompts, mirroring that of the platform. Research and development of the project, a collaboration between Jess Mathews and Melissa Hinkin, arose from a British Council Wales Scoping Visit to Delhi & Mumbai in May 2016. Key concerns in its initiation were the production of a new curatorial framework (both a conceptual model and practical tool) that could bring creative practitioners from Wales and India together; digital innovation through the production of a web-platform as a working resource, and a tool for articulation in the very realisation of its form; developing a practice-based approach to building a new language of collaboration across regions and disciplines. The network resulted in a programme of studio visits; a purpose-built tool for collaboration; four artist residencies; and the production of twelve original artworks. Realised in collaboration with g39,CONA Foundation, What About Art?, and the University of Worcester, the project received a total production budget of £28,500, with additional in-kind support. The project included four artist residences and culminated in a public exhibition (11/05/18 – 02/06/18

Quantitative principles of cis-translational control by general mRNA sequence features in eukaryotes.

BackgroundGeneral translational cis-elements are present in the mRNAs of all genes and affect the recruitment, assembly, and progress of preinitiation complexes and the ribosome under many physiological states. These elements include mRNA folding, upstream open reading frames, specific nucleotides flanking the initiating AUG codon, protein coding sequence length, and codon usage. The quantitative contributions of these sequence features and how and why they coordinate to control translation rates are not well understood.ResultsHere, we show that these sequence features specify 42-81% of the variance in translation rates in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Arabidopsis thaliana, Mus musculus, and Homo sapiens. We establish that control by RNA secondary structure is chiefly mediated by highly folded 25-60 nucleotide segments within mRNA 5' regions, that changes in tri-nucleotide frequencies between highly and poorly translated 5' regions are correlated between all species, and that control by distinct biochemical processes is extensively correlated as is regulation by a single process acting in different parts of the same mRNA.ConclusionsOur work shows that general features control a much larger fraction of the variance in translation rates than previously realized. We provide a more detailed and accurate understanding of the aspects of RNA structure that directs translation in diverse eukaryotes. In addition, we note that the strongly correlated regulation between and within cis-control features will cause more even densities of translational complexes along each mRNA and therefore more efficient use of the translation machinery by the cell

Examining Child Abuse and the Deloris M. Perry Children's Advocacy Center in Lowndes County/Valdosta, Georgia

This paper will examine the social problem of Child Abuse in Lowndes County/Valdosta Georgia and the creation and impacts of the Deloris M. Parrish Children's Advocacy Center (CAC) by examining their cooperative and supportive relationships with community partners and law enforcement agencies. The following questions served as the principal guides for the development of this project: What is the historical background of the identification of Child Abuse in Valdosta/Lowndes County? What are the identified environments that incidents of Child Abuse occur? Why were Child Advocacy Services needed? When was the CAC established? What are its purpose(s)/mission? What has been its legacy, i.e., how effective or not has its programs and partnership efforts been? Who/what community partners, including city and county governments, are actively engaging in delivery of services to the identified children and their families? How are resources identified and acquired, including operational funding? Resources utilized for this project include library research tools, the Children's Advocacy Center's Website (caclowndes.org) and responses to personal interviews with Brenda Hodges, Director of the CAC; Jennifer Lockhart, Office Manager of the CAC and Joyce Evans, CAC Board Member and Commissioner, District 1 of Lowndes County

WMD in Iraq: Evidence and Implications

Examines what the intelligence community understood about Iraq's WMD programs before the 2003 war in Iraq. Outlines policy reforms designed to improve assessments, deter transfer of WMD to terrorists, and avoid politicization of the intelligence process

A-polynomials, Ptolemy varieties and Dehn filling

The A-polynomial encodes hyperbolic geometric information on knots and related manifolds. Historically, it has been difficult to compute, and particularly difficult to determine A-polynomials of infinite families of knots. Here, we show how to compute A-polynomials by starting with a triangulation of a manifold, similar to Champanerkar, then using symplectic properties of the Neumann-Zagier matrix encoding the gluings to change the basis of the computation. The result is a simplicifation of the defining equations. Our methods are a refined version of Dimofte's symplectic reduction, and we conjecture that the result is equivalent to equations arising from the enhanced Ptolemy variety of Zickert, which would connect these different approaches to the A-polynomial. We apply this method to families of manifolds obtained by Dehn filling, and show that the defining equations of their A-polynomials are Ptolemy equations which, up to signs, are equations between cluster variables in the cluster algebra of the cusp torus. Thus the change in A-polynomial under Dehn filling is given by an explicit twisted cluster algebra. We compute the equations for Dehn fillings of the Whitehead link.Comment: 45 pages, 17 figures. For v2, introduction has been revised to better explain how this paper fits into existing literatur

Liderazgo transformacional en docentes de universidades privadas de Lima Metropolitana, en el periodo 2019

Este trabajo de investigación de alcance exploratorio, con enfoque cualitativo y diseño fenomenológico, tiene por objetivo develar las concepciones de los componentes de liderazgo transformacional que subyacen en la práctica de los docentes de universidades privadas de Lima Metropolitana, en el periodo 2019. La muestra estuvo constituida por 7 docentes de diferentes universidades privadas de Lima. Cada docente fue entrevistado a través de una guía de entrevista semiestructurada. El procesamiento de la información se realizó mediante acciones de codificación y categorización de datos de acuerdo con las categorías de estudio, que fueron elegidas tomando como referencia el modelo de liderazgo de Bass y Avolio, (influencia idealizada, motivación inspiracional, estimulación intelectual y consideración individualizada). El análisis de datos se realizó a través del procedimiento de triangulación de información como primer nivel de análisis y la triangulación teórica, como segundo nivel de análisis, considerando los criterios de pertinencia y relevancia. Se develaron los significados que los docentes universitarios tienen acerca de los componentes de liderazgo transformacional, conociendo así sus percepciones y creencias que orienta sus prácticas. Es así como prevalecen comportamientos de puntualidad, respeto y profesionalismo como reflejo de lo que consideran influencia idealizada. Entusiasmo para que los estudiantes se identifiquen con su carrera como reflejo de lo que consideran motivación inspiracional. Fomento del pensamiento crítico e investigación como reflejo de lo que consideran estimulación intelectual y capacidad de conectar y estar presente para el estudiante como reflejo de lo que consideran consideración individualizada. Este trabajo de investigación, al tener un alcance exploratorio brinda información acerca de las experiencias de los docentes en su quehacer cotidiano, lo cual no lo hace concluyente. Por lo que, la información obtenida es un valioso referente de base para otras investigaciones.This exploratory outreach research work, with qualitative approach and phenomenological design, aims to reveal the conceptions of the transformational components that underlie the practice of teachers of private universities in Lima Metropolitana, in the period 2019. The exhibition consisted of 7 teachers from different private universities in Lima Metropolitan. Each teacher was interviewed through a semi-structured interview guide. The processing of the information was carried out through coding and data categorization actions according to the study categories, which were chosen based on the Bass and Avolio model (idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration). The analysis of data was carried out through the process of triangulation of information as the first level of analysis and theoretical triangulation, as the second level of analysis, considering the criteria of relevance and relevance. The meanings that university teachers have about the components of transformational leadership were revealed, thus knowing their perceptions and beliefs that guide their practices. This is how punctuality, respect and professionalism prevail as a reflection of what they consider idealistic influence. Enthusiasm for students to identify with their careers as a reflection of what they consider inspirational motivation. Promoting critical thinking and research as a reflection of what they consider intellectual stimulation and ability to connect and be present for the student as a reflection of what they consider individualized consideration. This research work, having an exploratory scope, provides information about the experiences of teachers in their daily work, which does not make it conclusive. Therefore, the information obtained is a valuable baseline for other research.Trabajo de investigaciónCampus Lima Centr